Trump prosecutors should be 'alarmed' by public being evenly divided over case, says legal analyst

 CNN legal analyst Eli Honig warned during a media appearance Tuesday that a recent survey on whether Americans believe Donald Trump has acted "illegally" in his efforts to remain president has "prosecuted prosecutors." Consciousness” should be given.

On "CNN This Morning," host Poppy Harlow asked Honig about a poll that found 45% of Americans believe Trump acted illegally in his efforts to remain president in 2020. They said 32% said he acted unethically, but not illegally, and 23% believed he did nothing wrong.

“Why does it give you pause?” Harlow asked.

“From a prosecutor's standpoint, it scares me, because you look at numbers like that, 45% think one of the major parties did something illegal, politically, normal human beings, you go, wow, that's a lot. Prosecutor, I'm thinking you need 12 jurors unanimously, beyond a reasonable doubt. I mean, run the math on that, right? If you have a 50/50-ish split on how many people Think he did something illegal, and you need all 12 of them, Honig said.

“Now, that said, the jury pools in Manhattan and D.C. are anti-Trump, I mean, Trump got 5% of the vote in D.C. and 12% of the vote in Manhattan, so it may not be the same sample. Could. But that number would alarm me as a prosecutor," he added.

Honig predicted in the first segment that Fanie Willis' case against Trump would not be heard before the 2024 election due to scandals related to her personal relationship with a prosecutor. He said he was likely to get the Manhattan case against Trump before the election, but added that there was a 50/50 chance of a hearing before the election in the federal case headed by special counsel Jack Smith regarding Trump's actions on January 6. .

The same CNN poll found that 48% of Americans believe it is necessary that a verdict be reached in the election interference investigation of Jack Smith before the 2024 election. Sixteen percent said they would prefer a decision before the elections.

“While the federal election sabotage case, the Jack Smith D.C. case, probably has the power to swing some votes, we've seen other polling say it could swing 6%, 7%, 8%, I wonder. That's what the percentage will be when it comes to the Manhattan D.A.'s stash money case. Just as the calendar is now coming into focus, Jack Smith's case has been moved up, no longer scheduled for March 4. , kind of suspended indefinitely,'' Honig said.

Trump pleaded not guilty in April 2023 after being charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The charges, which relate to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, stem from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Bragg alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct and to hide harmful information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Trump's trial stemming from special counsel Jack Smith's 2020 election interference investigation has been delayed indefinitely.

Washington DC. U.S. Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday formally canceled the March 4 hearing date, saying the court would "set a new schedule whenever the mandate returns."

A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled against Trump's claim of presidential immunity from prosecution for his actions in office.

Trump has up to 90 days to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.